99 E36 328i convertible

[Londonguy5]

Hi all, newbie here wanting to advice/thoughts if poss,

I have had my e36 for about 15 years now and its still in very good condition for it's age and i love it to bits but it's now unfortunately showing signs of the dreaded rust appearing on the rear arches (very small bubbling at this time), So I have visited a local bodyshop to find out what would be involved in sorting this.

So the bodyshop have advised that the only way to really ensure this is sorted and does not come back is to have the old arches cut out and new arches welded in and have quoted £1800 to do this with painting back end included, so my query is shall I go down this route as obviously the car is now that old that i won't see that money again (is it worth it?) or shall i just have what is there ground back and treated for now with the knowledge that it will return.

Car is unfortunately not able to be garaged until I move next year so will be out in the elements until then although will be getting a decent cover for winter at least this year and ultimately am going to get myself a run around for commuting with the aim of trying to keep this is good condition.

Cheers

[helix402]

I’d try another garage! That quote is through the roof. The repair panels for rear arches are around £30 each, so that’s a lot of money for paint and labour.

I wouldn’t worry about the car not being garaged or covered. I find often covers and garaging can make cars rust worse than leaving them in the elements.

[iSore]

£1800 does sound slightly steep, but a quality job is a lot of work.

I would do what I did with mine (Orient blue T reg 328i Conv.) that was to grind it back, skim of filler and a paint job. On yours, by the time it comes through again the car might be worth enough to warrant it but tbh, values of these are really struggling. 328i Sport Coupe? By all means. But Convertible values will take a long time to pick up and will never be worth what the Coupes are.

I would add; to clean up E36 arches properly the rear bumper must come off and you need to bare metal them all the way underneath. Do that. and a clean up job lasts a long time. Mine was done in 2015 and they're still fine.